What If It All Means Something
by Krazy Kitty P
Summary: AU Aragorn and Arwen's daughter is not quite human, so they bring her to Elrond to raise. When, 16 years later, she and Legolas meet face to face, some surprising things may come of it. IS BEING REVAMPED! No new chapters til that's done.
1. Prologue

Ummm, hi. I've decided to try my hand at a Legolas/OC story ... this is just the prologue, and I'm almost done the first chapter, and if I get any reviews, then I'll continue!

Some things to be made clear:

Aragorn's eyes are green.

Elvish babies don't cry when they're born.

Elves mature at the same rate as humans until they are about 16 years of age, and then they seemingly stop growing physically. So they could be 200 and look 16 ½. 

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except Eruen. 

In This Life

Krazy Kitty :P

Prologue

Arwen's breath caught in her throat as someone handed her her new child. She was so beautiful, wrapped in a soft blanket, her large, trusting green eyes staring up at her mother. Those eyes were so much like her fathers ... she snapped out of her reverie as Arwen realized something—her baby wasn't crying. And her ears—well, they weren't human ears. They were pointed at the top! What it did it mean?

The door opened, and a tall, handsome man with black hair and piercing emerald eyes walked in, disregarding all others in the room to stride to his wife's bedside. "How did it go?" he breathed in her ear (before kissing Arwen gently), knowing she didn't like loud noises after a stressful time, especially a birth.

"She didn't cry," Arwen said, looking at Aragorn with her large, frightened gray eyes.

"So then she—" he stopped as Arwen showed him their daughter. The small girl looked up at him with her strangely intelligent eyes. His breathing grew harsher as they were locked in a staring contest, but then she laughed, the giggle that only a tiny, innocent child can produce, and she reached up so she could try to grab his swinging hair. Aragorn stayed motionless, taking her in, eyes, ears, and all, before looking back at Arwen. "She, she's an elf! But, it cannot be," he whispered.

"I do not know." Arwen sighed. "Stranger things have happened. But remember, love, we must have _estel_. We must never lose our _estel_." She looked at him under hooded eyelids.

"Yes," he replied. "Hope."

The door swung open quietly as the ladies-in-waiting and the royal midwife left the King and Queen of Gondor alone for a while.

"I am not sure this was such a good idea, Aragorn."

Aragorn sighed and put his arms around Arwen's waist, resting his chin on top of her head.

"Do not worry about our son, darling. He is perfectly capable of ruling, and besides, he is not ruling himself. My counselors will take care of our children."

"I know that. But, love, is she ready? And is it the right thing, having her grow up without her parents?" Arwen searched the night sky hungrily, as if she might find the answer to their problem in the starry heavens.

Aragorn followed his queen's eyes with his. The moon shined gently down on them, and he took confidence in her soft glow. "Maybe not, but what else can we do? It is a better solution than having her grow up in the court, where she would be forever ridiculed for her ... abnormalities, they would say. Here she is with her own kind."

"We are her own kind!" Arwen shot back, before sighing and leaning into her husband's embrace. "Today, she spoke her first word. She called me Mi-Mi. How can I leave my own child here, among—among strangers!"

"She has your father, and your brothers. She will most likely visit Lothlorien before too long. Do you consider them strangers?"

"No, but ..."

"Legolas has promised to check on her regularly, and tell us how she is doing," Aragorn cut her off.

Arwen pried her gaze away from the stars and cast it over the tumbling waterfalls and lush greenery of Imladris, Rivendell, the elven haven. She was silent for a long moment, before answering his unspoken question. "If Legolas will do that, then perhaps I may become adapted to the idea of leaving Eruen here, to grow up with elves, under the care of my father. Perhaps."


	2. Kittens

Hi, I'm back! And, I've got a nice long chapter for all you people out there. OMG. *faints* I didn't know so many people read L/OC stories. Isn't it so scary, though, that I thought no one would read my fanfic, and (on Christmas day no less) I get 11 reviews. Wow.

I would just like to address a concern of many of my reviewers. Eruen is NOT a Mary-Sue. She may have qualities that I admire, but she is human (relatively speaking). like, she SUCKS big time at archery (which will be mentioned in the story, lol) and she is forever being sarcastic, which get QUITE annoying after a while. The only things that she has in common with me is 1) green eyes because I find it hard to envision gray eyes, and I need to see my characters, and 2) her sarcasm, because I just insert those things naturally, and so it's easier for me if she's sarcastic too. And she is also not stunningly beautiful, like her mother, but is rather plain looking because she normally wears men's clothing. It is her silly, quirky little habits that make her all the more endearing to Legolas, not the things she excels at.

And also, she does not know that Legolas comes every year to check on her, and she doesn't know who her parents are. Elrond is (to her) her adopted grandfather (who is rather OOC [out of character] but that's ok. Writer's privilege). Mariyen is her best friend. And the big scary thing at the end is .... an integral part of the story. Please don't review and ask what it is, because "ALL WILL BE REVEALED" ... later. Thanks!

Oh ya, italics are thoughts, but if they're italics inside quotation marks then they are a different form of Elvish; Mirkwood's language, which Elrond understands.

In This Life

Krazy Kitty :P

Chapter one: Kittens

__

If you were in Rivendell tonight you would, as on many other nights, enjoy feasting, music, dancing, and the wonderful company of the Elves. But if you would look closely at Elrond Halfelven, Master of Rivendell, you might notice a slight difference in his expression, perhaps for being a little cross around the mouth, and impatient around the eyes. And if you were really bright, possibly you would notice that there was an empty chair next to him. Now, you might simply shrug it off as a seat for someone not yet there. But who? His sons, you might conclude. There is always the possibility that one might be visiting Queen Arwen his sister in Gondor, and the other was not. Perchance, though, if you were really quite brilliant, you would look around more and see that both of Lord Elrond's sons were in attendance. So, you are left with a mystery, except if you are an elf of Rivendell, in which case you merely shake your head, and divert your attention to more absorbing and interesting forms of entertainment. 

For the reason of the Lord's impatience would soon be arriving ...

Lord Elrond Halfelven turned to his son abruptly. "Where is that nuisance granddaughter of mine now?" he said irritably. "She was supposed to be here for the beginning of dinner!"

"I do not know, Father," the Lord was answered. "She left the fencing courts early today to get ready."

Elrond sighed heavily. "Fencing! What next? Will she be jumping over impossibly high hurdles on her horse? Run away? Oh, I know, she will attack Legolas as he rides here to make sure she is happy and healthy (not that she would not be). Yes, and severely wound him (not that I will not be able to heal him), but ..."

"Father, you are overreacting. You know she would not be so rash as to attack another elf, and besides that, why would she attack anyone in the first place?"

"I do not know, son. Why is she late (again I may add) today?"

"Why is she always late?"

Elrond sighed again, and turned from his son to stare at the entranceway.

Small feet clattered noisily down the stairs, carrying Eruen Estel towards the feast that she was, again, late for. "My Lord is sure to punish me this time," she mumbled under her breath. She paused by the door, pulling a young serving girl towards her. 

"Mariyen, is Milord mad?"

Mariyen looked furtively around before whispering, "Very, Milady. What did you do this time?" she added, eyes twinkling.

"I promised I would not be late for dinner," Eruen answered distractedly. "Is there any way I can sneak in?"

"Not a chance, Ma'am. He is watching the doors very closely."

"Is there a way I can distract him?"

"Oh, no, Mistress, I can not help you this time," responded Mariyen, backing away. "Remember how last time we had to clean off the courtyard all alone?"

Eruen laughed, remembering how they had together pushed a large (unbreakable, of course) plant holder off of the balcony, but the laugh soon faded away.

"You are correct," she said, sobered. "And to now face my Lord's wrath ..."

"Good luck," Mariyen whispered, hurrying away to finish helping in the kitchen.

"I'll need it," Eruen mumbled again, before taking a huge breath to steady her nerves, and stepping through the door haltingly.

First, the elves closest to the entrance turned towards her and were silent. The silence spread down the long lines of tables 'till it reached the High Table where Elrond and his sons were seated. Elrond looked up and glared.

"Eruen?" he called, his voice carrying eerily loudly all the way down the room. The only sound in the room was the fire crackling, and it sounded like a constant whip crack as she nodded her ascent.

"My Lord?"

"Come here," he ordered imperiously. She took small, mincing steps towards the High Table, and her inevitable punishment. The distance seemed too long, and began to waver in her vision, but she swallowed her fear and hurried on her way.

As Eruen reached the High Table, she gulped and curtseyed. "Yes, my Lord Elrond?"

"Eruen Estel, present me with one of your far-fetched excuses as to why you were not here on time."

"M'lord, I do not have any excuses." Elrond raised his eyebrows and nodded once, slowly. "But—" she stumbled, "but, I do have a reason. You see, I left the fencing courts before I usually do today, to have more time to get myself ready." 

"Yes, I know this is true. Continue."

"Well, I was walked into my room, and I noticed, all of a sudden, that there was a small cat, lying on my bed. Upon closer examination, I realized that, not only was it one cat, it was a cat and her litter of kittens."

On the other side of the entranceway, Mariyen smiled quietly and turned from the door.

"So, my Lord, I have been trying to find homes, or at least a home, for the kittens, and I became so absorbed, that I, I ..."

Elrond placed two fingers underneath her chin, and lifted her face up so he could look into her eyes. "Is this true?"

"Yes, of cour—"

A clear voice carried down the long hall. "My Lord?"

Both Elves turned in surprise. "Yes?"

Mariyen ran down the hall to join Eruen. "If I may ..." she asked breathlessly, curtseying so low she almost knelt. Elrond nodded in acceptance. She opened the lid of the basket she was carrying, and said, "I took two of the kittens ..." and two small fluffy kitten heads poked over the lip of the basket.

Elrond widened his eyes almost imperceptibly. "Hmmm," he hummed. "I think, Eruen, that I must forgive you this time. But if it happens again ..." he warned.

"It will not, my Lord Elrond, oh, it will not," she assured him happily. "It shall not, I promise you."

"Very well. Now sit down, and eat."

Eruen obeyed, eyes shinning. _Oh, thank you, Mariyen, thank you ..._

The two swords clanged together, and scraped away as Eruen quickly drew her sword to her. She paused and swiped a hand across her brow. "I'm tired," she complained.

"Tired? Tired? You think you can stop in the middle of a battle because you are **tired**? It's not going to happen, darling." The man in front of her frowned. "Besides that, you need to work on your stamina."

"But Joherdain ..." 

"No buts, Eruen. Your fighting skills are not too bad, but you need to work on your archery as well."

"Archery! No, not **archery**!" she cried in mock agony. "No!"

"And another thing ..." Joherdain said. "You need to work on your attitude. I will not tolerate any more sarcasm from you."

Eruen sighed. She respected the opinion of the training master, but she sometimes thought that he needed to lighten up a bit. "Why do you bring archery to my attention?" she asked unhappily.

"Because, my dear, I have received word that a master, an absolute **master** of the craft will be visiting Imladris quite soon. I believe I shall have a word with him about your non-existent skill."

__

Oh, lucky me, thought Eruen. _Is that not just what I wanted?_ She sighed. "If you insist, Joherdain."

"I do," he replied firmly. "He shall be arriving tomorrow."

"Yay," she mumbled gloomily. "We shall have such fun."

"That's the spirit," he cried, clapping her on the back.

Eruen burst into her room and collapsed onto her large, canopied bed. "I am doomed!" she cried dramatically.

"What now?" asked an amused Mariyen.

"Well, not only do I need to work on my stamina, but now, apparently a master, 'an absolute **master** of the craft' (archery, you know) will be arriving tomorrow."

"And ..." Mariyen prodded.

"And, Joherdain will 'have a word with him about my non-existent skill'."

"Oh. That is not too horrible a fate, is it now?"

Eruen sat up, aghast. " 'Not too horrible a fate'? Are you feeling well? You know how I feel about **archery**!"

Mariyen laughed. "No, I was not referring to archery, I was talking about having lessons with 'the absolute **master**'."

"Why? Do you know something I do not?"

"Well ..." Mariyen trailed off. "To be specific, yes, I do know who will be visiting tomorrow ..."

"Who? Tell me, please, Mariyen, please?" she asked, dragging on the last word.

"You might be surprised if I tell you, Lady," Mariyen responded.

"I promise I will not do anything rash or stupid. Now please, please, please tell me!"

"I will."

"Well then do it!"

"I will, if you let me!"

"... Sorry."

"Tomorrow, Prince Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood will be arriving."

"What?" screeched Eruen, horrified. "Not only is he a prince, but he was one of the Fellowship! Him, teach me archery? I think I shall faint," she told Mariyen, quite calmly, and promptly did so.

The only sound in the forest was the hoofbeats of a pure white horse, and this bothered Legolas Greenleaf. "_There should be more noise,_" he murmured to his horse. The horse whinnied as if in agreement.

"_Why is there not?_" he wondered aloud. There were no birds singing, no squirrels chattering. All was silent.

"_I am thinking this does not bode well,_" he told his horse. "_Perhaps we should hurry._"

The horse nodded his head gently and picked up his hoofs. "_Little faster, please._" He nodded again, and began trotting. Legolas looked behind them uneasily. He caught a brief glimpse of—_something,_ something too horrible to name.

"_Gallop!_" he yelled, and his horse broke into a smooth gallop, going faster and faster until the passing trees and plants were merely a green blur.

"_Faster, faster,_" he urged his horse, "_come on, you can do it ..._"

Legolas could feel his heart pounding, could taste his fear, tangible in it's reality, and squeezed his eyes shut. _Come on, come on, just a bit farther to Imladris, come on, come on!_

They broke the cover of trees and pounded across the plain. Opening his eyes, he could see the river coming closer and closer.

"_Just to the river, then we are safe, just to the river ..._"

His horse cleared the river in one leap, not breaking its stride. They galloped on, through the lush greenery surrounding Rivendell. The horse stopped as soon as they reached the courtyard, panting and exhausted. Elrond (who had been waiting for them) looked up in surprise.

"Legolas?" he ventured.

"_It found me,_" Legolas whispered tightly. "_It followed me to the river._" 

"_Is it still there?_" 

"_I do not know._"

"Grandfather?" Eruen hurried to keep up with Elrond as they hastened along a corridor. "Grandfather, what is wrong?" she asked worriedly. 

"I have no time for this now. Go to your room, stay there until I call you," he answered tersely, and raised a hand to dispel any forthcoming comment. "Do it."

Eruen stopped in surprise. "But—" He was already gone.

"Well, is this not nice?" she asked the silent walls. "Fun, fun, fun."

Elrond's head appeared around the corner. "Actually, you can help," he told her. "Follow me."

Eruen rolled her eyes. "Even funner," she told the walls gloomily, following her grandfather. "M'lord? Wait for me!"

Elrond dropped a thick, heavy book in front of her, raising dust. She raised her hand and waved it in front of her face, coughing. "What is this?" she asked when the dust had cleared.

"It is a book," he told Eruen. "Use your head."

"No, I mean, what is the book for?"

Elrond glared. "It is none of your business what it is for," he said. "All you have to do is help me look for something in it."

"Why not?" she shrugged. "Not like I have anything else to do ..."

"None of your attitude, young lady," Elrond scolded.

"So what am I looking for, Grandfather?" Eruen sighed.

"You are to look through it for something called 'Nameless Fear'."

"Soo," she mused, "that would be in the 'N' section ..."

"Stop fooling," he warned. "Take the book to your room, search in there. I shall get Mariyen to send you some food."

"Food? Why?"

"You will miss all meals until you have looked through the whole book."

"Oh yay." She sulked. "Am I not the luckiest Elf ever?"

Elrond buried his face in his hands and groaned.

So that's the end! Any more reviews and I'll continue!

Ooooo, yesterday I saw the Two Towers—OMG it rocked. So I'd just like to mention that, although I don't normally make comments like this, that all the guys (that were reasonably young, not including Sam, Merry, and Pippin) were all looking really, REALLY good. Like, GOOD.

Okay ignore that.

And now, THANK YOU'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vix- Wow! You're my first reviewer! Thanks! Hope you had a good Christmas as well.

Faeful- Actually, her name's Eruen, and then Estel, kinda like her last name, coz I don't think they have the name Mary-Sue in Middle Earth, so—oh no wait you were being sarcastic weren't you?

Iceangel- Why thank you! It's up soonish, I hope.

Kagomei- Nice name, and thank you for your opinion. It really helps me!

Lady of None- Um, thank you for your advice. I'm getting to the romance, next chapter I promise! I just had to get the "Nameless Fear" and Legolas introduced to the story. And I'm confused: what is "the ME air", and are you saying I lack detail? Just wondering.

Thephoenix- Yes, you are a "lazy ass"—kay I'm kiddin. I really hope that I'm walking through "Door One", and not "Door Two". You'll have to tell me. I'm not a good judge, seeing as I'm writing the story. Slow down. Must remember. Hey, I did, I was gonna have them—well, have them doing much, much more, but slow down. Must slow down. Thanks for all your help!

Freak of nature- I'm glad you're interested—I also hope you're not disappointed in how the story is progressing.

Rayvin813- I'm glad you like! Glad you like!

Androme- OMG you put me on both your favourites! *gives androme a big bear hug* Thank you thank you thank you!

Serenia- Thanks, and I'm writing!

Seraphstar- Oh, you don't need to worry. I do that occasionally too! Thanks for your confidence!

Right. So review now. Go on, go on, you know you want to ....

Krazy Kitty :P


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